Napa

I have always had problems with napa's website napaonline.com more than 90% of the time I click on a link or search I get the message "an error occurred while processing this directive" I mean I am begining to think there is a site out there worse than JU...

No suprise from company that keeps bankers hours.... I stopped in a napa last friday looking for some bolts, no joy, no suprise. First time I've been in a napa in about 2 years...

I think that Napa is not a very good store for parts. Their customer service in all three locations in my city of Green Bay sucks! The only thing that I have from them that still works to my amazement is my alternator. I get most of my parts from Carquest who's parts have not failed me yet. I have gotten some parts from Advanced Auto.

I've never had a problem on Napaonline; could it be your browser/firewall? They aren't all on banker's hours...just most of 'em. Never go to the young guy behind the counter if the greasy older guy is there (this has held true in every NAPA I've been to); the older guy knows his stuff.

You've got a greasy old guy behind your counter, how'd you get so lucky?!

Last time Dad went to our local NAPA for front axle U-Joints for my Sister's XJ he was told they don't exist and they'd try to sell him front driveshaft u-joints. I'm not even going into non-existant (according to their books) factory dual tail pipe exhaust on Mom's van........................

NAPA used to be the best around, but they have really gone downhill recently. I've had lots of problems on their web site. Auto Zone's web site appears to be the easiest to use. Advance Auto (Checker, Shucks, Kragan) seems to be next best -- Parts America system. I don't know why Pep Boys even has a web site -- you can't look up parts availability or prices on their site.

I dont know much about the napa web site but the local napa here is the best... the local autozone has only teenage employees (not harping on all teens) my nephew called autozone and asked about an outer stub shaft for a 87 4x4 pickup truck they asked him was it for front or rear. he replied they didnt make rear wheel steer on that year and hung up the phone....If they are going to employee teens they should have them know a little something about vehicles instead of just looking stuff up on the computer... just my .02

ive always had truble finding what i want on the website, but the service at the stores is awsome.theres also NapaProLink that lets you see inventory and look and price parts. hee in Coldbrook Nova Scoia we have 3 stores within a 10 minute or less drive. one is open till 8:30 and on saturdays. they always take the extra time to get it right. most of the teenage guys are at Canadian Tire (there really!! bad here) Carquest parts havent failed us yet, but Napa is usually cheaper

Yucca-Man said:

I've never had a problem on Napaonline; could it be your browser/firewall? They aren't all on banker's hours...just most of 'em. Never go to the young guy behind the counter if the greasy older guy is there (this has held true in every NAPA I've been to); the older guy knows his stuff.

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your the reason I got to twiddle my thumbs at many counter jobs.. I am about to turn 30 and look about 24ish.. the greasy old guys usually had to turn around and ask me for help.. lots of those old guys love carburetors and points, and wont embrace new car parts.. but thats another rant..
I worked for NAPA part time for about two years, they are independantly owned, which accounts for most of the problems. I feel they carry top quality stuff as long as you dont get the "one year warranty" stuff. After working behind the counter for so many years (dealers also), i hate going to Advanced and Pep boys... those guys dont know anything.. luckilly i still know guys at the dealers, i will pay the extra cost just so i dont have to go thru the hassel..
I am getting tired of walking past the scooters and mopeds, then step over the candy boxes.. to lean against the coke cooler, to order my auto parts..

I just bring in the part #s from the website, and say I need Part#XXXXXXXXXX

No problems.

OR, I use the old united import access code, and talk to the catalog guy right away.

I almost NEVER walk into Napa and ask for "a left handed bilvet for my jeep" Doing so almost makes sure you are sitting there, and getting the wrong stuff.

I go to whatever store is cheaper for the parts needed.

Advance auto, I almost have to grab the screen and point out what I need.

Vato Zone in the ghetto around here is better than my local Mom and Pop for finding rare parts though....And it's within biking distance!

Im not sure if im pissed or disapointed been a parts counter man for 16 years
7 of those are at NAPA. Dont lump us all into the same category my store is open 7 days a week 7:30 Am to 7:00 pm Monday through Friday 8 to 5 Saturday and 10 to 3 on Sunday. I work hard at what i do,ASE certified. Im im in Northern Indiana we make sure we hire only competant experienced people(yes not many young guys here) so again we are not all the same sorry if youve had bad experiences.

bowhunter said:

Im not sure if im pissed or disapointed been a parts counter man for 16 years
7 of those are at NAPA. Dont lump us all into the same category my store is open 7 days a week 7:30 Am to 7:00 pm Monday through Friday 8 to 5 Saturday and 10 to 3 on Sunday. I work hard at what i do,ASE certified. Im im in Northern Indiana we make sure we hire only competant experienced people(yes not many young guys here) so again we are not all the same sorry if youve had bad experiences.

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Problem here in the NE PA where I live is that they open at 7am and close at 4 on weekdays then 7am to 12 on saturdays. I like to get my parts together during the week so I don't have to run out on sat or sun. Result is that NAPA does not get my business plus they have not had the stuff I needed. Example was a tamper proof T40 torx bit for the TJ's roll cage, nada at napa, small mom n pop store, yup... $7.00.
Some assorted sheet metal bolts, again nada at napa, yup at AA, national and LAS [mom n pop shop].
Signal lights for the TJ's, front directional and fender flare, nada at napa, yup at AA...[half the dealer price too. ..]
I just put it out of my mind now and don't even think about going there for anything, why waste the time, so far they are batting 0 for 12.

I think its a regional thing also. I used to live in Nanticoke, PA, dont remember even seeing a NAPA up there. Worked at a chevy dealer, they closed at 5:00 during the week. That is unheard in MD. I knew many of the guys at AA, which was why I didnt like going there unless i had a part number in hand. Most of the Mom and Pops were specialty. In MD, we dont have Mom and Pops to speak of, mostly the chain stores have taken over. The NAPA I worked at was open M-S 7:30-9pm and Sunday 10-3. Many of the NAPA stores are very small and cater to the Wholesale guys, so they are only open Wholesale hours. To reduce operating costs, they dont stock too many parts, they have drivers pick them up at the warehouse and drop them at the delivery.. this allows them to be fairly liquid.. From Working at Dealerships, Pep Boys, NAPA, etc, I would say as far as aftermarket goes, NAPA is usually the best, but Auto parts can be a revolving door of employees, so its hard to know what your going to get at the counter.

The auto parts food chain in this neck of the woods looks something like this:

- Kragen (best store around by far)
- Autozone (and only because they loan out OBD-II scantools)
- Pep Boys (lucky if they can spell 'car' correctly three times out of five)
- Various mom & pop stores (good luck if you need more than a pine-tree air freshener)












- Napa (who I hope will one day smoke a turd in hell)

At least around here, Napa is the worst joke of an auto parts store. A few months ago, I needed an ignition coil for a 1989 Peugeot. The vehicle has electronically-controlled ignition; other models in the range do not. Purchasing it went something like this:

Napa: don't have the part in stock, maybe can't get it, if they can get it it'll take seven to ten business days, and it's going to cost around $200 and be a real PITA for them to deal with. Tried to also tell me that this was a very unusual part, not like any other friggin' ignition coil on the face of the planet. Left the store feeling like I'd been violated but wasn't quite sure how.

Pep Boys: tried to explain to the guy behind the counter that I really did need the $95 coil, not the $25 one; he was so hell-bent on saving me seventy bucks that the fact that the $25 coil wouldn't work was completely lost on him. Ended up sending back three coils that were the wrong one (despite the correct number being on the order) before cancelling the order outright. This was one of their more minor screw-ups.

Autozone: nobody there speaks English anyway (or they just won't), so that particular exercise in frustration was avoided.

Kragen: ordered the coil, had it turn up the next day, put it on, been happy since.

I'm sure other folks have different good and bad experiences to my own; if there's one thing experience with these places has shown me it's that a large part of it comes down to regional management.

Ratings in the South Bay (don't know what's wrong with Pasadena!)

Peerless Auto (Parts Plus franchise) Best hands down - little more expensive and not the most convienant hours or location for me.

NAPA Second best - Again, inconvienant hours and location.

Kragen or AutoZone - About the same, 50% chance of finding somebody there that knows their shit.

Pep Boys - They're kidna decent but I believe they hire legally retarded people to work for them. Nice of them to do such a public service, but a bit annoying. Right next door to the place I get my alignments done though (JustTires in Torrance, they do an AWSOME job and will adjust castor, camber too if you have adjustable ball joints).

Sequoia

GSequoia said:

Ratings in the South Bay (don't know what's wrong with Pasadena!)

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Me neither. When I lived in Fullerton, the Napa down there was really first-rate. Gotta be something to do with regional management.

On a semi-related tangent: my personal pet peeve with all of these places (the local Kragen excepted) is the you-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about attitude the parts counter people have. During that coil-seeking incident, both Napa and Pep Boys were convinced that it couldn't possibly be the coil - because no spark was running between a pulled plug wire and the block when I cranked it over, it *had* to be the computer, despite the fact that my multimeter showed signal from the ECU on all pins. Yeah, I know they're trying to upsell at every possible opportunity, but c'mon, folks - don't insult your customers' intelligence like that.

Oh, and one other thing I like about the local Kragen: leave a message out-of-hours needing a part, and they'll call you back in the morning once it's ordered for a credit card number. Never had an auto parts store do that before.

Ludakris said:

your the reason I got to twiddle my thumbs at many counter jobs..

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Just do what I did and get hired on at a place where we're all young guys... Then again that was on-base so the greasy old guys were the ones working in the toolroom. You're right about the NAPA independent ownership thing; obviously it makes a huge difference in how the place is seen. I remember the NAPAs in Chandler, AZ as having those bankers hours, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the two near me are open longer. Most parts they've had to order in arived within three days, sometimes even the next business day and unbelievably they beat the local prices when I was replacing my O2 sensors and exhaust.

I always try to keep an ear open when I go into any store and see which counter guys (and gals) seem to have their heads outta their butts. Sometimes the old greasy guy isn't always the one with a clue, and I'll note that next time and try to find the other one...

casm said:

Me neither. When I lived in Fullerton, the Napa down there was really first-rate. Gotta be something to do with regional management.

On a semi-related tangent: my personal pet peeve with all of these places (the local Kragen excepted) is the you-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about attitude the parts counter people have. During that coil-seeking incident, both Napa and Pep Boys were convinced that it couldn't possibly be the coil - because no spark was running between a pulled plug wire and the block when I cranked it over, it *had* to be the computer, despite the fact that my multimeter showed signal from the ECU on all pins. Yeah, I know they're trying to upsell at every possible opportunity, but c'mon, folks - don't insult your customers' intelligence like that.

Oh, and one other thing I like about the local Kragen: leave a message out-of-hours needing a part, and they'll call you back in the morning once it's ordered for a credit card number. Never had an auto parts store do that before.

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I don't like that attitude much either, neither does the wife.

A few years ago she went to Checker(Kragen) to buy me a set of Mechanix gloves. She walked in and started looking for the gloves, and a parts monkey came over and asked he if she needed help. She said "no" and kept looking for the gloves. Few minutes later the same dude came over and asked "You sure you know what you are loking for in here?....awful lot of parts."

Well, my wife had found the gloves and was looking at which kind to buy when the guy came over the second time, and she responded, by saying "I don't need you fucking help, I know what I am looking for," and she grabbed the gloves and went to the checkout.

Napa is by far the best around here. They are about the only place that has the "old timers" that know what they are talking about, and arent afraid to crack open a parts book, not just use the comp.

Fergie

Around my neck of the woods:

Napa:
They close too early, but they have the best customer service and most knowledgeable staff around. – by far! Parts are a little on the high side.

Autozone:
Cheapest parts(price and quality), and always short handed. Their employees are always cussing and seem pissed off. They usually have what you need though.

Checker(same as Kragen):
Snotty employees with a “I’m better than you” attitude. When it’s your turn to talk to someone, they love to complain about how stupid the previous customer was.
Idiots!

Dealership ( www.projeep.com – off of 104th)
Depends on who you talk to.

I like Napa. Their hours suck, but I've had a lot better luck with their parts than Autozone, etc. Knock on wood, none of them have failed me yet. Their people actually know what they are talking about and the it one very close to me. Plus, the guy thats always there drives a TJ and always asks me about my Jeep, knows his stuff about Jeeps, and sometimes gives me small stuff for free.

The last Autozone I went to I had trouble finding someone that spoke English. All the signs were in Spanish too, it was rediculous. Not to mention the number of bad parts I've gotten there over the years before I finally gave up on them Pep boys isnt a whole lot better as far as the Mexican factor. The last Advance Autoparts I went to the guy was a total dumbass. I went up there to get a new battery since the one on my Volvo had taken a crap and he insisted on testing it and said I needed a new alternator. I believed him and paid $400 for a new alternator, which was faulty btw, and took it back and got a new battery and it was running great till I sold it a few years later. The only recent experience I've had with Carquest was buying fan clutches there for my XJ. I got two defective ones before I finally went to the dealer and got one.